Chickens Destroying my yard.

[chuckzoo]

I had the same problem until I devised a structure which I call my chicken "Range Rover". It was very simple to make. Keep in mind it is just a way to have them out in the garden a bit without destroying everything in sight.

 

[columbiacritter]

I live on 5 acres of prime chicken snack country but they'd rather be in my manicured yard diggign up flower beds. I use deer netting to keep them out of the beds i want to look nice.

 

[BWSY]

I look on the brighter side.....One good thing about all pecking around they do is that I don't have any weeds in my driveway!!!

I have raised veggie beds and have cages to cover them. I have a chicken wire/wood frame cage for the strawberries and 2"x4" (openings) fence formed into cages for other short veggies. Also self staking decorative fencing for other areas for taller stuff. I had these cages prior to the girls because of deer and squirrel problems.

In the ten years living here I never re-seeded my yard. (prior to getting chickens) I will start doing it for erosion issues and to provide grass for them to eat.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

What I would recommend is the Balfour method:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4318018

Then they are NOT where you want order and cleanliness.

Edited- Oh I just saw chuckzoo's solution. A playpen! That is great also!

 

[chuckzoo]

Yea, chickenaresweet, that's exactly what it is - a playpen. It measure 8'X'4' and the front opens up for the chickens to walk in. I have a narrow part of my garden that I just place the Range Rover at the end and they go right in. To get them out I just shake my container of BOSS and they come running back into their run.

You could make it much more elaborate but mine suits my needs. I have lots of shade in my garden and I don't put them out when its raining so have no need for a cover although you could add one easily.

When they are finished "playing" they go back to their coop and run where hopefully they get down to serious chicken business like laying and creating "nuggets" for my compost heap.

 

[gardeningsis]

Quote:
Nice set up and really lovely landscaping.

 

[CathyM]

Quote:
Only until they eat/scratch all that clover into dirt!

I've had hens now for 8 months; they love to get into anything remotely edible, and the large chicken yard I fenced in for them is denuded mud! I think there is a method one guy used of making raised hardwire cloth areas that allows grass to grow up for them to graze, but doesn't allow them to scratch until the roots are dead... that's what I needed to do, and will likely do in one area in spring... otherwise, yes, they beg and beg until I let them into the yard. The veggie garden now has a large wire fence; the compost is covered by a tarp (oh, how they love the compost!!

) and the herb garden is next to be fenced off. Luckily right now the sapling trees have plastic covers for warmth, or they'd be gone. Also luckily, I have never in my life been able to manage a neat looking garden, so they hens only make it moderately worse.

 

[Right On Reds]

I have a smallish fenced in yard in which I have grass and lots of pretty lillies. I surround my flower beds with a readily available metal fencing which is decorative 2 foot high border type fencing. When it's warm I let the hens out to graze after work and I hang out in the yard in order to keep them from scratching up grass and messing up the lawn and eating the lillies. The fencing is enough to keep them out of the flower beds as they can't jump on it and don't seem to want to jump over it.

I begin this as soon as my perennials shoot up from the ground and continue till fall. Once the plants are dying and fall well underway, the girls can roam all day without my presence. But during the growing season, they spend their time in their run until I let them out. My flowers are beautiful in the spring and summer. I grow lillies (not Tiger Lilly) as they aren't toxic, along with other non toxic flowers.

 

[chikinmama]

Id section off part of the yard that the coop is near and make a run for them that allows them to enter their part of the yard. My yard is no longer my yard either, but we like it

 

[chickbird]

chickens are genetically foragers, it seems a shame to disallow something they dearly love....just need to put up a fence to keep them out of yard with all that 40 plus acres, try to accomodate them.